Lending services: Reminders, overdue fees & debt collection

Customers are reminded of their loans by email or by post:

1. The first reminder comes by e-mail before the due date, if the customer has provided the library with his/her e-mail address.
2. The second reminder comes after the due date by email.
3. If the customer still has not renewed or returned the loans, third and final reminder comes by email.

If a customer has not provided an email address, second and third reminder are sent by post.

The sending of the reminders does not transfer responsibility from the customer to the Learning Centre for the prompt return or renewal of the loans.

If a customer is placed in a patron block and has over 10 euro of overdue fees, the Learning Centre may send a reminder of unpaid overdue fees. In addition, to avoid the expiration of the debt, we send reminders to all customers that have unpaid fees.

Loaned items that are not returned or renewed by the due date cause overdue fees. The rate of overdue fees is reported annually in the price list of the Learning Centre.

We do not send a bill or a separate notification when a fee is placed. Fees appear in Aalto-Primo in My Account under Fines.

Please, note! If you want to ask or complain about your fee, please contact the Learning Centre customer service before making the payment!

If a customer's overdue fees are or exceed EUR 10, the customer is automatically placed in a patron block. The patron block will prevent the customer from borrowing new items or renewing items on loan. The block is lifted immediately after the fees have been paid.

Overdue fees can be paid:

• Via web payment by logging in to Aalto-Primo (The minimum amount is 0,70€.)
• With debit/credit cards at the customer service of Harald Herlin Learning Centre

Web payment is possible via all Finnish online banks, or Visa and Mastercard credit cards.

Some of your overdue fines may be so called accrued fines. This means that books that caused the fines are still on loan, and that they have not been renewed or returned. These kind of fines cannot be paid online. Instead, you need to do one of these things:

1. Return overdue books, then pay the overdue fines in the Learning Centre or online.
2. Call the Learning Centre during the opening hours to agree on the payment. After that the loans will be handled to make the online payment possible.

Further information about web payment:

Paytrail Oyj (2122839-7) acts as an implementer of the payment handling service and as a Payment Service Provider in cooperation with Finnish banks and credit institutions. In payments made with Visa, Visa Electron or MasterCard Paytrail Oyj will be shown as the recipient in the invoice and Paytrail Oyj will forward the payment to the merchant.

• Contact information for Paytrail: https://www.paytrail.com/en/contact

Paytrail Oyj provides netbank related payment transfer services in co-operation with Finnish banks and credit institutions.

If a customer, after receiving the reminders, has not returned his/her loans or paid fees the Learning Centre will send their customer information to a debt collection agency. In some cases, the collection agency can be commissioned to collect unpaid overdue fees.

Lowell Finland Oy partners with Aalto University Learning Centre in the collection of unreturned loans and unpaid overdue fees.

The customer is also liable for Lowell's collection service fees. The customer is also placed in a patron block in the whole of Aalto University Learning Centre.

Lowell will send the customer a demand for payment. The customer will resolve all subsequent matters concerning the outstanding payments with Lowell, not the Learning Centre. All payments should be made to Lowell as instructed in the demand for payment.

After receiving the demand for payment the customer has three options:

1. The loans are returned to the Learning Centre and the overdue and collection fees stated by the demand for payment are paid.
2. In case of printed publications, the loans are replaced with items of the same work that are in good condition. The overdue and collection fees stated by the demand for payment are paid.
3. The compensation fee for the unreturned items stated by the demand for payment are paid in addition to the overdue and collection fees. The amount of the compensation fee is at minimum 100 euros for each unreturned item or the equivalent cost for similar new items (possible exceptions are found in our price list).

Once a customer has resolved all matters concerning the demand for payment in one of the above mentioned ways, Lowell will confirm this to the Learning Centre and after this confirmation the patron block is removed.

In case the customer does not resolve with the issue in ways mentioned above the patron block will remain in force and Lindorff Oy will pursue the collection comission. Collection fees rise accordingly for the duration of the collection commission.